Course Enrichment Grants

Course Enrichment Grants, offered by the University of Virginia Library, provide support to faculty who would like to enhance students’ abilities to seek, evaluate, manage, and use information and data in scholarly contexts, as well as create new types of media-rich class assignments.

Faculty recipients of these grants will be awarded:

  • $2,500, which can be applied to summer wages or to a research account.
  • Dedicated support from experienced librarians, technologists, or other library staff.

The program is intended to fund projects that promote student learning in the areas described below. All funded projects will involve partnership with a team of library staff with expertise in the proposed topic. 

  • Enhance students’ ability to critically find, evaluate, interrogate, manage, and use information both within and beyond their field of study.
  • Help students to conduct archival research, gaining competencies in finding, using, and interpreting archival and primary source material.
  • Strengthen students’ ability to discover,  ethically use/reuse, collect, manage, store, and share data from a wide variety of sources.
  • Allow students to explore new technologies, such as video, audio, 3D, immersive, and maker-related projects, and produce course assignments in a variety of media.
  • Deepen student understanding through digital methods such as mapping, exhibit-building, text/image/sound analysis, or collaborative project design. 
  • Support faculty who wish to use open educational resources and practices in their courses.

Applications are welcome from all disciplines.  We especially encourage applications that explore the use of open educational resources as a means of practicing inclusive or active pedagogy.

Proposals should be for courses in which planning can be completed in anticipation of the course offering.  That means for Fall 2022 courses, planning should be undertaken in the summer 2022; and for J-Term 2023, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023 courses, planning should be completed before the start of the target semester.  

Who is eligible? How do I apply?

  • This program is open to anyone holding a faculty appointment at the University of Virginia who is teaching a semester-long course (Fall, J-Term, Spring, or Summer).
  • Application deadline: 2/17/2023.  
  • Notifications will be made during the week of 3/20/2023.

What are the selection criteria?

  • The project will have an impact on the faculty member's teaching and on student learning, and, if relevant, the community.
  • Information concepts and activities are well-integrated into the course.
  • The project has a convincing rationale for partnering with the library to accomplish course goals.
  • Staff with the necessary skills are available to support this project.

What are the expectations of the faculty?

  • Faculty will meet with their assigned library team at least three times before the deadline to plan the course and complete the syllabus.
  • Faculty will include at least one library team member on the course site.
  • Faculty will provide feedback on their experience with the program.  

Other considerations:

  • We recommend that project proposers, especially those that involve the application of technology to teaching or learning, consult with a staff member before submitting an application.  Please talk to your department liaison or contact Judith Thomas (jthomas@virginia.edu) for a referral.
  • This program cannot promise implementation of academic technologies in the classroom (e.g., software, systems) or provide long-term support for specialty software.  However, we can advise on technologies and make referrals to appropriate support units on grounds.
  • You may be contacted by the selection committee with additional questions.

Learn more 

Attend an information session: 

See a list of previously funded projects. 

For questions about any aspect of the program, please email Judith Thomas at jthomas@virginia.edu

APPLY NOW